Deliver Us From Evil

INVOCAMUS Vi INGREDI AB INFERIS

Itend to ignore the based on a true story or inspired by true events tagline when I see them.  That should be a given when watching "Deliver Us From Evil" as one must remember that this is a Jerry Bruckheimer production.  Scott Derrickson, the man who directed "The Exorcism of Emily Rose," "Sinister," and the direct to DVD "Hellraiser: Inferno" brings us a very loose adaptation of  former NYPD officer Ralph Sarchie's exploits in investigating demonic events as chronicled in his 2001 book "Beware the Night."  The film's title comes from the last petition of "The Lord's Prayer," or known to Catholics as the "Our Father."  Libera nos a malo.  While Sarchie's book contains several stories of demonic possession, none of cases is actually tied together as they are in the film. 

Australian actor Eric Bana ("Star Trek," "Hanna," "Troy") plays Ralph who is going through a crisis of faith while investigating a series of murders.  Venezuelan actor Edgar Ramirez ("Domino," "The Bourne Ultimatum") also stars as a rouge Catholic priest who enlists Sarchie's help in fighting demons.  Olivia Munn ("Magic Mike") co-stars as Sarchie's wife Jen, and the wisecracking Joel McHale ("The Soup") is Ralph's partner Butler.  While watching "Deliver Us From Evil," I thought back to the 1970's TV show "Kolchak: The Night Stalker."  Melding the Crime genre with Religious Horror, Derrickson and Emily Rose collaborator Paul Harris Boardman tell us on a two-hour demon hunting tales.  Rated R for violent subjects, littered with street language and the dark hideous things that lurk in the shadows. 

Three U.S. soldiers fighting in Operation Reaper in Diyala Iraq back in 2010 stumble upon the entrance to some catacombs in a jungle oasis near the desert.  Like "The Exorcist's" Pazuzu, in the Cradle of Civilization resides an ancient evil that changes the three soldier's lives.  Three years later, we find ourselves in the violent Bronx's 46th Precinct, late at night following Sgt. Sarchie as the coroner takes charge of a dead baby.  Sarchie has his own child, 5 year-old daughter Christina (Lulu Wilson) and the death of a child is hard on him.  Apparently Ralph has a thing his partner calls Radar -- in other words, a nose for trouble.  Sarchie and Butler take on cases that range from an apparently crazy woman who throws her young child into a moat at the zoo.  A former Marine who has bout of PTSD who beats his wife and an Italian immigrant family whose house seems to be haunted.  In all these investigations Sarchie, encounters narrow hallways, dark places, scary music, the low rumble of doom, and flashlights that never seem to work when you need them. 

Those of us who watch a lot of "CSI," and "Criminal Minds" will recognize the familiar pattern of procedural investigation that Sarchie and Butler proceed from.  The two begin tying things together when they investigate Jimmy (Chris Coy) the wife beater first.  During Sarchie's examination of Jimmy's office, Ralph discovers that the painters have painted up a wall that had a Persian-Latin inscription that Jimmy and his two-war buddies found in the ancient catacomb.  While watching some of Jimmy's helmet-cam video, he watches as Santino (Sean Harris) led Jimmy and Griggs (Scott Johnsen) into the catacombs and to a wall with the same inscription on it.  The three were all dishonorably discharged for attacking a chaplain after their encounter with something in the tombs.  They find Griggs dead in the Italian immigrants family’s house and he was the husband of Jane (Olivia Horton), the woman now locked up in a mental ward for the kid-tossing incident at the zoo.  While investigating Griggs apartment, not only do they find the place infested with cockroaches but that unholy relics hang on the wall.  The puzzle starts to come together.  

 “A saint is not a moral exemplar.  A saint is a life-giver."  - Father Joseph Mendoza

Enter Father Joseph Mendoza (Ramirez) who helps Sarchie and Butler with more than just a motive, but a reason for these outbursts of insanity.  Sarchie starts out as a skeptic, a Catholic who has lost faith in humanity and himself.  His years on the force have sliced away his hope for humanity and any hope for his own should.  Mendoza is the drinking, smoking, and boxing kind of priest who helps Ralph deal with his guilt.  Mendoza warns Ralph that the demonic spirits will use his guilt against him.  The part of Father Mendoza is a combination of several real life characters drawn from Sarchie's past, and a Venezuelan priest that Edgar Ramirez once knew.  Ramirez shapes his character as a plain, simple, and humble man who has stripped himself of false piety before Christ and is neither a slayer of demons but a man who helps his friends.  He implores Ralph to confess his sins and strengthen his soul in preparation of doing "the Work."  In trying to reach past Ralph's lack of faith and his skepticism, Mendoza points out the problem of good verses the problem of evil.  While sitting in a restaurant that caters to FDYN he points out even with all the evil in the world, what possesses men to sacrifice their lives for others in times crisis.

“Vengeance always destroys the avenger.”  - Father Joseph Mendoza

There is another aspect to "Deliver Us From Evil" that strikes at the very heart of the home.  Literally.  As Ralph is tuned to the paranormal, there is a danger of the paranormal following him home.  As we saw in the "Exorcist," that opening oneself to welcoming the supernatural into your life could have tragic outcomes.  In this case, because of his work, something is haunting Ralph's daughter.  In the scenes concerning his young child we learn the sad truth that Jack in Boxes and stuffed owls are creepy.  As Derrickson gives us plausible reasons for seemingly strange and creepy phenomena, including the possible psychosis of the soldiers, alternatively, the evidence for possession builds.  As a father and a husband, the psychological cost of focusing too deeply on his work strains his relationship with his wife and child.  As his daughter, Christine, feels threatened by some malignant force stalking her, Jen believes Ralph’s mental state is affecting their daughter.  In Scott Derrickson's "Sinister," Ellison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke) seemingly opens himself to the demonic by watching the evils committed upon past victims of the demon Bughuul, The Eater of Children.  Like Ralph Sarchie, the spiritual and psychological effects of his work affect not only him, but his family as well.

"Made the scene, week to week. Day to day, hour to hour. The gate is straight, deep and wide.Break on through to the other side."  - The Doors

Christopher Young's scoring brings out the ambiance of utter dread.  Adding to the mood are the ethereal sounds of Atrium Carceri.  Tying the film together and providing the musical cues to the motives of the possessed are selected cuts from The Doors.  Tracks include "Break on Through," "Soul Kitchen," "People Are Strange," and from their last album, "Riders on the Storm."  The breaking on through that Morrison referred to in the song was about tearing down the walls from one level of consciousness to another. However, in the film, Boardman and Derrickson, mean breaking down gates to hell.  Similar in fashion Boris Balkan's attempt to open the gates to hell in the 1999 Johnny Depp paranormal thriller "The Ninth Gate."  Cinematographer Scott Kevan (“The Losers,” “Underworld: Awakening,” “Cabin Fever”) sets the visual mood very well. Imagine the image of a hooded Santino, face marked in blood while standing backlit in the rain as "Riders on the Storm." plays in the background.  The image is creepy. 
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Ralph Sarchie not only writes novels, he is also associated with The New England Society For Psychic Research ran by Lorraine and the late Ed Warren.  Ralph started a chapter of the Psychic Research center in New York City.  If you remember, last year in "The Conjuring," Vera Farmiga from "The Orphan," "Source Code" stars as Lorraine Warren.  Patrick Wilson who starred in "Insidious," "Passengers" and "Watchmen," played her husband Ed. Last year, James Wan did a marvelous job of invoking the sense of fear and dread throughout the whole film.  What gave "The Exorcist" its ultimate horror was that we get to know Regan first as a young innocent preteen girl before the procession.  Then the horror grew as each time we met her in her possessed, peas vomiting, head turning Pazuzu self.  

In "Deliver Us From Evil," we get three possessions for the price of one, but we don't really get to focus on any of them.  Instead, Derrickson gives us a character study of a troubled cop (what cop isn't troubled), trying to deal with the secondary evils of man when he comes head on with primary evil of the the demonic kind. Some folks are going to hate this film while others will find it scary and intense.  For me, “Deliver Us From Evil" is a better than average demonic exorcism flick, with solid character development, excellent acting by Edgar Ramirez and a decent Bronx accent delivered by Eric Bana.  Munn and Hale give strong performances and Derrickson, builds a decent story, but the ending felt a bit rushed.  Although Derrickson does a mighty fine job of building tension and conjuring up a sense of fear, the ending leaves something to be desired.  The name of the demon Jungler is barely audible when Santino finally chokes out the name.  Who the hell is Jungler?  There are no offerings of where or who this demon is but only hints.  Where do the demons go once exorcised from the victim?  None of these questions has answers leaving the viewer unfulfilled at worst, and intrigued at best.  

"Deliver Us From Evil"  is in theaters, July 2, 2014. 

Related

Deliver Us From Evil: What Do You Believe
Deliver Us From Evil: Beware the Night

Movie Data

Genre: Crime, Horror, Thriller

Year:  2014

Staring: Eric Bana, Édgar Ramírez, Olivia Munn, Sean Harris, Joel McHale

Director: Scott Derrickson 

Producer(s): Jerry Bruckheimer

Writer: Scott Derrickson, Paul Harris Boardman, Ralph Sarchie, Lisa Collier Cool

Rating: R

Running Time: 118 minutes

Release Date:  7/2/2014

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Three independent films worth watching this 4th of July weekend.

Just because a film doesn't have a big budget doesn't mean it doesn't have big ideas or something to say.  Three films that I have seen in the last month have not only caught my attention but my imagination as well.

Chef - Comedy
First from Open Road Films is John Favreau's summer film "Chef.”  The film may not make tons of money, but it will make many people happy.  "Chef" is a story of one man's search for happiness and finding it at the most essential level: food, family, and personal self-worth.  "Chef" includes “Iron Man" alums Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson in supporting roles.  But the big stars along with Favreau are Emjay Anthony, John Leguizamo, and Sofia Vergara.  The MPAA gave "Chef" an R rating for language, and some suggestive male bonding references.  The film runs just under 2 hours and worth every minute.

The Rover - Crime Drama

Secondly, I recommend the Australian film from A24 studios titled "The Rover.”  A carefully paced film that loves wide-open spaces, and with a sense of turmoil that burns below the surface.  Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson star in a film that typifies Australian cinematic style with long periods of silence and then sudden bursts of violence that shatters the narrative and reminds the viewer that the world that we are wandering in. is a wilderness of pain and violence.  "The Rover" is a film about the search for humanity, civility and the safety of structure.  The film is violent and deserves its R rating, and runs about 1 hour and 40 minutes.

The Signal - Sci-Fi

Last, but not least is "The Signal" from the art house Focus films.  Director William Eubank takes us on a journey into the depths of conspiracies and into a world of interesting concepts.  Is it Alien contact, or is it something from "The Twilight Zone?"  That is the question "The Signal" asks.   The film stars Brenton Thwaites, Olivia Cooke and Laurence Fishburne star in this well-made stylish Science Fiction adventure.  "The Signal" is Science Fiction in its true form, unaltered by fantastical elements from fantasy or the horror genres.  If you don’t see “The Signal” in theaters, make sure that you catch it on Blu-ray or DVD. Rated PG-13 and runs 85 minutes.

Summer 2014 Independent Film | A Constantly Racing Mind

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Deliver Us From Evil: What Do You Believe

This year "Sinister" director Scott Derrickson returns with another horror film. Derrickson and writer Paul Harris Boardman who brought us 2005's "The Exorcism of Emily Rose." collaborate yet again. 

Former NYPD officer Ralph Sarchie's details his adventures in investigating demonic events in his 2001 book "Beware the Night"  by Ralph Sarchie. 

Eric Bana ("Star Trek,"  "Hanna")  plays Sarchie who is going through a crisis of faith while investigating a series of murders. Venezuelan actor Édgar Ramírez ("Domino," "The Bourne Ultimatum") also stars as a rouge Catholic priest who enlists Sarchie's help in fighting demons. 

Here is a the synopsis:
In "DELIVER US FROM EVIL," New York police officer Ralph Sarchie (Eric Bana), struggling with his own personal issues, begins investigating a series of disturbing and inexplicable crimes. He joins forces with an unconventional priest (Edgar Ramirez), schooled in the rituals of exorcism, to combat the frightening and demonic possessions that are terrorizing their city. Based upon the book, which details Sarchie's bone-chilling real-life cases.

• - Written by Sony Pictures Entertainment

Besides  "The Exorcism of Emily Rose," horror veterans, director Scott Derrickson and writer Paul Harris Boardman, have worked together in 2000 on the direct to video "Hellraiser: Inferno,"  and 2013's "Devil's Knot."  Both Derrickson and Harris Boardman are credited as the writers of 2000's horror film "Urban Legends: Final Cut."

In this trailer, Ralph Sarchie (Bana) is having a crisis of faith. After investigating an incident at the zoo that he believes is a women's psychotic breakdown.  Finds that something evil has followed him home.  If you believe in good, or in god you must believe in evil or in the devil.

Former NYPD detective turned author, Ralph Sarchie, is associated with The New England Society For Psychic Research ran by Lorraine and the late Ed Warren.  Ralph started a New York chapter of the Psychic Research center.  It will be interesting to see how different the film is from book. 

"Deliver Us From Evil"  is in theaters , July 2, 2014. 

Movie Data

Genre: Crime, Horror, Thriller

Year:  2014

Staring: Eric Bana, Édgar Ramírez, Olivia Munn, Sean Harris, Joel McHale

Director: Scott Derrickson 

Producer(s): Jerry Bruckheimer

Writer: Scott Derrickson, Paul Harris Boardman, Ralph Sarchie, Lisa Collier Cool

Rating: R

Running Time: 118 minutes

Release Date:  7/2/2014

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The Rover - One Man's Search For Justice In the Land of the Lawless

" I am looking for my car. There are three men in it.  Have you seen it?"

The opening scenes of "The Rover" warn the viewer that this is not a slick Hollywood Blockbuster, instead it is a carefully paced film that loves wide open spaces, and with a sense of turmoil that burns below the surface.  "The Rover" typifies Australian cinematic style in this manner as well as the sudden bursts of violence that shatters the narrative and reminds the viewer that the world that we are wandering in. is a wilderness of pain and violence.  Guy Pearce ("Memento," "The Count of Monte Cristo," "Animal Kingdom," "Lockout ") stars along with Robert Pattinson ("Water for Elephants," "The Twilight Saga: New Moon") in this straight forward narrative of two men searching for the life and security that the world once held for them. “  The Rover" is a violent film, and deserves its R rating, and runs about 1 hour and 40 minutes.

The opening title card only says "10 years after the collapse."  The fall of the Western economy leads many to the mines of Australia to eke out a living. Thievery and robbery are the norm, and the price of water and petrol are high.   David Michôd ("Animal Kingdom" "Hesher") and writer and actor Joel Edgerton ("The Great Gatsby," "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones") ,  tells a direct narrative of brutality in the Australian outback.   Sitting in his car, Eric (Guy Pearce) finally decides to exit his compact car and enter a bar for a drink.  Pearce’s Eric is dressed in a short sleeved shirt and a pair of shorts, as if he was planning on doing some gardening in his backyard but decided to have a drink instead.  He has a full beard and moustache and his hair is a slicked back mess and thinning.  Approaching the bar from a short distance are three men in a small pickup truck covered in mud.  They are fighting with one another.  A wounded Henry (Scoot McNairy), argues with Archie (David Field) who is sitting in the back seat while Caleb (Tawanda Manyimo) drives the getaway car.  They are arguing over leaving Hank’s brother Rey (Robert Pattinson) behind either wounded or dead in the street.  A struggle ensues and the car goes crashing by the barroom window as Eric drinks his beer morosely.  The three men, sitting in their car, uninjured, try to get the car to move but cannot.  Two men in the bar leave the bar with shotguns to investigate and Eric follows.  Archie leaves the backseat and breaks into Eric's car and electronically hotwires it; the other two follow.  Eric is able to start the truck and pursues the three carjackers.  

During the pursuit, Eric catches up to the thieves, but is knocked unconscious and left on the side fo the road. Upon awaking,  Eric stops at every shithole town that litters the Australian desert.  He also finds himself at odds with an old brothel/opium den owner who goes by the name of Grandma (Gillian Jones), several Chinese acrobats and a dwarf (Jamie Fallon), whom Eric ends up murdering in a quite nonchalant way.  Eric also runs into Rey who is losing blood from a gunshot wound.  After driving miles to find a doctor, Eric finds one by the name of Dorothy (Susan Prior).  After she removes the bullet, cleans, and dresses the wound, Dorothy finds Eric in a shed where she keeps quite a few dogs held in cages.  Watching the caged dogs, Eric is quiet and filled with sorrow. He sits in front of them and sobs.  Dorothy tells him that the owners left the dogs with her to care for.  The owners never returned.  She didn’t want to release the dogs because she knows that they would be killed and eaten as food.  The next day during an encounter with the Chinese acrobats who came avenge the dwarf..  Eric uses Dorothy’s rifle to shoot them from a distance.  Rey, still recovering, marvels at his accuracy.  Eric takes Rey with him as he is the key in finding the brother, the other two thieves and his car.  

Eric’s car acts as a McGuffin in this film.  It seems to be Eric’s purpose for living.  One must ask themselves why the damn car is so important.  The interaction between Eric and Rey, which starts out guarded, is insightful to the audience.  We find that Eric is an ex-soldier and a failed farmer and Rey is a young American man who may be described as one with limited mental abilities.  Rey is a role that Robert Pattinson gives an exceptionally good performance.  His mannerisms and the difficulty he has in getting his words out are painfully realistic.  Throughout the film, Rey’s character metamorphoses into something other than a mentally challenged kid who is severely dependent on his older brother.   

The theme of friendship and trust grows throughout the film in small yet credible ways.  Eric is harder to fathom as he is a man full of despair, and acts as a one whose search for meaning has failed.  After Rey accidently kills a motel owner’s daughter, he ends up in a gunfight with a soldier who Eric dispatches matter-of factly.  The next day Rey is deep in thought and tells Eric that he is thinking of the girl he killed.  Eric replies, "You should never stop thinking about a life you take.  That is the price you pay for taking it."

As the two travel the Australian Wasteland there are people surrealistically crucified on the side of the road.  Eric is morose throughout the film with an air of existentialism on the surface but with a terrible anger boiling beneath.  At one point, after being captured by the soldiers, he talks to the Sargent filling out his transfer papers.  Eric asks the soldier why he doesn't just kill him rather than sending him to Sydney.  The soldier’s reply borders on the absurd, "Why shoot them, if we shoot them and never send them to Sidney they will wonder why they are paying us.”  He then confesses to the soldier about murdering his wife 10 years before. For Eric, the loss of structure, the lawlessness, and the struggle just to survive, leaves the his world meaningless and sullen.  As Eric awaits his death, gunshots ring out, and within seconds, the soldier he just confessed to, is dead.  Rey arrives like the cavalry to the rescue.  Welcome to the apocalyptic version of Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men."

Amidst the ramshackle buildings and the desert heat and openness, “The Rover” is paced stubbornly and has a quality reminiscent of "The Book of Eli."  Michôd questions the value of the Rule of Law, or in this case the lack of it.  One sits mesmerized to the screen as each scene and each act of violence unfolds and you are given time to reflect on what the world has come to.  The Human psyche is a fragile thing and in either Eric and Rey’s world, or your own world, where respect for human life and politeness come into question as each bit of civility, slowly and insidiously is stripped from humanity.  The film exudes complacency as seen near the end when an old man watches the murder of his companions.

Have I scared you with a description of this film?  Don’t be, my intentions are only to guide you.  The Rover is a film for those who are not faint of heart and enjoys a directing style that aims clearly at telling a story of violence in a realistic but in a weirdly beautiful way. Natasha Braier's cinematography and Peter Sciberras editing doesn't rush or force the characters or the story.  "The Rover" is a film about the search for humanity, civility and the safety of structure.  The film is also about justice; not just justice for the film’s bad guys, but also for the "hero" as well. 

Movie Data

Genre: Crime, Drama

Year:  2014

Staring: Guy Pearce, Robert Pattinson, Scoot McNairy, Tawanda Manyimo, David Field, Susan Prior, Gillian Jones

Director: David Michôd

Producer(s): David Linde, David Michôd, Liz Watts

Writer: Joel Edgerton, David Michôd

Rating: R

Running Time: 102 minutes

Release Date:  6/20/2014

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Deliver Us From Evil: Beware the Night

Coming to theaters near you on July 2, 2014 is this year's summer instalment of creepy. Last year's offering was James Wan's highly successful suspense/horror film "The Conjuring."  This year "Sinister" director Scott Derrickson returns with another "The following is based on actual accounts" type of horror film.  Derrickson and writer Paul Harris Boardman both veterans of 2005's "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" collaborate yet again in adapting former NYPD officer  Ralph Sarchie's adventures in investigating demonic events.  Ralph chronicles these exploits in his 2001 book "Beware the Night"  by Ralph Sarchie.  Australian actor Eric Bana ("Star Trek," "Hanna") plays Ralph who is going through a crisis of faith while investigating a series of murders. Venezuelan actor Édgar Ramírez ("Domino," "The Bourne Ultimatum") also stars as a rouge Catholic priest who enlists Sarchie's help in fighting demons. 


Sony Pictures hasn't been promoting this film very hard, however this what you need to know.

• In "DELIVER US FROM EVIL," New York police officer Ralph Sarchie (Eric Bana), struggling with his own personal issues, begins investigating a series of disturbing and inexplicable crimes. He joins forces with an unconventional priest (Edgar Ramirez), schooled in the rituals of exorcism, to combat the frightening and demonic possessions that are terrorizing their city. Based upon the book, which details Sarchie's bone-chilling real-life cases.
  - Written by Sony Pictures Entertainment

Besides  "The Exorcism of Emily Rose," horror veterans, director Scott Derrickson and writer Paul Harris Boardman, have worked together in 2000 on the direct to video "Hellraiser: Inferno,"  and 2013's "Devil's Knot."  Both Derrickson and Harris Boardman are credited as the writers of 2000's horror film "Urban Legends: Final Cut."

In this trailer, religious skeptic Ralph Sarchie (Bana) investigates an incident at a zoo that he believes is a women's psychotic breakdown.  While Catholic priest, Father Mendoza, tries to convince the NYPD officer that this paranormal and demonic.

Ralph Sarchie not only writes novels he is associated with The New England Society For Psychic Research ran by Lorraine and the late Ed Warren.  Ralph started a New York chapter of the Psychic Research center.  It will be interesting to see how different the film is from book. 

"Deliver Us From Evil"  is in theaters , July 2, 2014. 

Movie Data

Genre: Crime, Horror, Thriller

Year:  2014

Staring: Eric Bana, Édgar Ramírez, Olivia Munn, Sean Harris, Joel McHale

Director: Scott Derrickson 

Producer(s): Jerry Bruckheimer

Writer: Scott Derrickson, Paul Harris Boardman, Ralph Sarchie, Lisa Collier Cool

Rating: R

Running Time: 118 minutes

Release Date:  7/2/2014

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The Counselor: Cinematically Correct -- Ridley Scott's Fatefully Flawed Filmed

Director Ridley Scott, novelist, and now screenwriter Cormac McCarthy have joined to bring to the screen one shocking tale of sex and drugs that I have seen in a long time.  The Counselor treads into areas of humanity that most people would rather not tread.  Cormac McCarthy's original screenplay looks at the dark and twisted side of human nature.  "The Counselor" has an all-star cast of the likes of Michael Fassbender ("Prometheus," "Shame"), Penélope Cruz ("Vanilla Sky," "Blow"), Javier Bardem ("No Country for Old Men," "Skyfall"), Brad Pitt ("Mr. & Mrs. Smith," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"), and Cameron Diaz ("Vanilla Sky," "The Box").  While the cast turns in strong performances, Ridley Scott works hard to make McCarthy's bumpy script work in delivering a story about the consequences of the decisions that we make.  There are no do-overs in this one.  Some strange scenes and hilarious dialog go on in "The Counselor" that makes this film worth watching.  "The Counselor" is rated R for the violence, the language, the sexual content and runs just under two hours.

“A diamond announces a woman's frailty while enhancing her beauty.”

Living in El Paso, the man who only goes by his title of Counselor (Fassbender) finds himself in debt, and decides to invest in a drug trafficking venture with Reiner (Bardem), his flamboyant and shady business partner.  Needless to say, the deal goes bad pretty quickly and things get pretty bad for most of the cast.  I must say, that the opening scene came off as unexpectedly crude in-spite of the excellent cinematography invoking a dreamy, sensual atmosphere.  The Counselor and his girlfriend, Laura (Cruz), are literally under the white, flowing sheets having a bit of raunchy pillow talk, which turns quickly to the Counselor having oral sex with Laura.  Since Fassbender's role as Brandon in 2011's "Shame," I found him in this role expected.  Cruz on the other hand was unnerving.  Opening the film with this scene lets the audience know that the boundaries in this film are about to stretch, perhaps a bit too far.  The Counselor enjoys a very stylish life and dresses to show it.  He also likes expensive things.  In fact, the Counselor takes a trip to Europe to purchase an expensive 3.5 caret diamond from Bruno Ganz ("Unknown," "The Reader") with a color rating around a "g" or an "h.”  The closer to the letter "a" in the alphabet, the letter is the more clear it is.  Ganz's performance as the diamond dealer serves as our first warning that life is precarious, and decisions matter.  Although he is just selling diamonds, his tone is cautionary and foreboding, and with a certain matter of fact attitude.  Upon returning to Texas, he proposes to Laura over dinner at an upscale local restaurant.

"Smart women are an expensive hobby."

As a lawyer, he has many sketchy clients that he can call upon to help with his money problems.  He turns to Bardem's character, Reiner who lives an extravagant lifestyle with his girlfriend Malkina (Diaz).  As the first part of her name "Mal" implies, there is something wrong with her.  Laura represents the idea of today's perfect woman, beautiful, but modest, she is cautious about her sexuality, but willing to go let with the one she loves.  While Malkina is the seductress whose purpose in life is to corrupt men's souls, destroy their lives, and eat them for breakfast.  Her moral values cause even Reiner to question his involvement with her.  In the scene where, after contemplating his money problems, the Counselor meets with Reiner, he asks if Reiner's office is safe to talk.  Reiner replies that he doesn't know, that it might be bugged, and then finally that it probably wasn't.  Giving the audience the impression, that something is going to go wrong.  Reiner, with his spiked hair, flamboyant clothes, and general odd demeanor makes his "Skyfall" character a little saner.  He warns the Counselor that once he is in with this deal, there is no turning back and that there will be consequences if it fails.

"Men are drawn to flawed women.  Men think they can fix them.  Women don't want to fix anything; they just want to be entertained."

Reiner is a conflicted character.  He isn't conflicted about his lifestyle, his business with drugs, or the vibe he gives off.  He is very comfortable with those aspects of his life.  No, Reined is conflicted about the woman he loves; and that would be Malkina.  When we see the two together in an early scene, Malkina is in the desert, on a horse, racing a cheetah (Reiner and Malkina are eccentrics).  Like the cat, Malkina, too is like an animal, feline, she likes the chase, she likes the hunt, there is no good or evil in it, it is what the elegant, and graceful cheetahs do.  Thus, the dilemma, Reiner is so deeply infatuated with Malkina -- it hurts.  However, more significantly, his love for this woman will take him (willfully?) to his end.  When relating the incident of Malkina having sex with his Ferrari, he is not only shocked and disturbed he is violated by it.  Yes, that is what I said; she had sex with the windshield of Reiner's car, while Reiner sits in the car, aghast watches disturbed as he views the spectacle from the passenger's side. The role of Malkina is one of a psychopath, a very beautiful one.  She is clever, smart, and disturbing.  She reeks of sex, and her charms work on both men and women.  However, like a demonic succubus, Diaz does this role justice.

Brad Pitt plays a Texan whose name is Westray.  His role in the drug deal is a little less clear.  His dialog with the Counselor tends to wax philosophical amidst of his on screen time.  Not that much of what he says makes much sense.  Although Westray is able to get across to the Counselor a warning about getting involved with the Mexican cartels; does the Counselor heed any of the warnings?  No, he doesn't.  Each of the warnings given to him by his partners is both grisly and unique.  Chekhov's gun rule applies here, as all of these aforementioned warnings of gruesome deaths will eventually come to pass.

Having an all-star cast is a definite draw for this film.  But, having all of these great actors in a film that follows none of the typical storytelling traditions, where the editing fails to serve the story, set the pace, but instead only confuses the audience with no apparent pay off in the end.  The drug deal is poorly explained and leaves the audience disorients them even more.  Fassbender's character of the Counselor would be considered tragic in most stories, whereas here, he is just a plain fool.  In spite of strong performances, the under developed characters Ridley Scott does his best to piece this thing together cinematically.  For example, one moment we are in a hotel in Boise Idaho, and the next, I am assuming we are in Mexico walking into an embassy.  It took me a moment to figure that out, if that is where he was.  Near the end of "The Counselor," the Jefe (Rubén Blades) of a drug cartel gives a long and convoluted dissertation on the philosophy of fate and the acceptance of ones consequences.  Quoting the Spanish poet Antonio Machado, Blades rambles on about accepting the death of a loved one, leading the audience deeper into bewilderment.

Cinematically and musically, the film is excellent.  The performances are charismatic and solid, but the writing is weak which leads to choppy editing and scenes of confusion.  As much as I admire and respect Scott, I didn't care much for "The Counselor.”  I was left confused downer of a film and although the message was ultimately clear and simple: Sometimes you must face the consequences of your decisions and although you are willing to accept your fate, the ones you love the most are too affected in ways that may be too horrible to imagine

Movie Data

Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller

Year:  2013

Staring: Michael Fassbender, Penélope Cruz, Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Brad Pitt

Director: Ridley Scott
Producer(s): Paula Mae Schwartz, Steve Schwartz, Ridley Scott,Nick Wechsler, Cormac McCarthy

Writer: Cormac McCarthy

Rating: R
Release Date: 10/25/2013
Running Time: 117 minutes

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The East: Brings Us A Study In Consumerism and Authenticity | A Review

"But if we hurt people, aren't we just as bad as they are?"

Independent filmmakers Zal Batmanglij and Brit Marling make philosophical films that make you want to ask questions, and examine your own life.  In "Another Earth,” they made us think about our actions and the consequences, and the hope of redemption.  In "The Sound of My Voice,"Batmanglij and Marling wanted us to consider the possibility of time travel.  Their stories are thought provoking and they sometimes don't care too much for the rules of storytelling.  In "The East," they have honed their narration skills to much finer point.  The story that "The East" gives us is a look at anarchy, anti-consumerism, and a modern day look at extreme corporate activism.  The film stars co-writer Brit Marling, Alexander Skarsgård ("Battleship," "Straw Dogs"), Ellen Page ("Juno," "Inception"), Toby Kebbell ("Wrath of the Titans," "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time"), and Shiloh Fernandez ("Evil Dead," "Red Riding Hood").  "The East" runs about 2 hours long, is rated PG - 13, and has some interesting characters who we want to care about.

Starting a movie with a threat, sets the mood immediately and strikingly. What it doesn't tell you is that "The East" builds up the espionage quickly, but evenly.  The film opens up with a scene of an oil-drenched beach and a seagull covered in the goo.  Ellen Page voices over a threat to the corporate eco-terrorist of the world.  The scene changes to hooded terrorist breaking into a nice home in a house in the Hamptons and pouring oil into the vents of the house as a message to the owner, a CEO of a big oil company.  Sarah (Marling) works for an exclusive private spy firm, Hiller-Brood, whose clients are the big corporations.  Sarah (her undercover name) gets a prime assignment from her boss Sharon (Patricia Clarkson), the head of the firm.  The assignment is to infiltrate an anarchist group called The East.  After Sarah has studied the anarchist cell, she prepares to leave for her undercover assignment.  She tells her husband that her assignment is in Dubai.  After her husband (Jason Ritter) drops her off at the airport, she ditches her clothes and luggage, hits the road, and takes off for parts unknown as a homeless drifter.  Her goal is to find those who will help her find the anarchist cell. After some bullying by some rail yard detectives (bullies), she is picked up by Luca (Fernandez) and is given a quick lesson on freeganism.  Yes, that is where you go dumpster diving for food that restaurants must legally dispose of, but is still good to eat.  Sarah is brought to the group seeking medical attention (she cut her arm as a ploy).  Once in the group, she continues her spying and gaining intel on the cell. 

"Why is it self-righteousness goes hand in hand with resistance movements?"

The different characters that we meet have some interesting backstories.  There is Doc (Kebbell); he’s the group’s medic and a victim of a pharmaceutical company that makes the antibiotic drug Denoxin.  The drug causes the victim to not recognize their own faces, have tendons snap, seizures, and brain damage.  Then there is Izzy (Page).  She is one of the most radical of the group, and the most cynical.  Her crusade against an industrial plant that dumps arsenic into the local water is both heartfelt yet cruel.  She wants to stand up for those who can't.  The leader of the group is Benji (Alexander Skarsgård).  He claims that the people with him are not his followers.  He is both a charismatic figure and a tortured one.  He first appears in the film after about the first 20 minutes looking like a Christ figure, as he is thin with long brown hair.  Despite of what Benji says, he is the cult's leader.  There are others in the group that adds to the dynamic of the film.  Also in the group are Thumbs (Aldis Hodge) as the moral compass of the group, and Tess (Danielle Macdonald) who is the group’s computer hacker.  The activist’s goal is to commit three "jams" or acts of eco-terrorism on three major companies.  Their methods are simple, an eye for an eye.  After each jam, the group loads a video to YouTube announcing what they have done.  Tess encrypts the video so that the FBI can’t track it back to the originating IP address.  Izzy makes the announcements.

"It's easy when it's not your home easy when it's not your life.  The place where you sleep. Your kids, your wife. But when it's your fault it shouldn't be so easy to sleep at night. Especially when we know where you live.  Barry Redmond, CEO of Lorex Oil, 2641 River Road, East Hampton. You dumped fifteen million barrels of crude into the Atlantic. We don't care how rich you are. We want all those who are guilty to experience the terror of their crimes. Because it shouldn't be so easy to get away with murder. Lie to us we'll lie to you. Spy on us we'll spy on you. Poison our habitat we'll poison yours. We are The East and this is just the beginning. We will counterattack three corporations...in the next six months for their worldwide terrorism.”  ~ Izzy

Marling's character, Sarah, is complex.  She prays and listens to Christian music.  She lies to her husband about her work.  She has her own sense of morality and a certain sense of naivety wrapped within a hard shell of a ambition and confidence.  She is deft at spy craft, she keeps her wits, yet she later succumbs to her feelings about the group and their cause.  She doesn't necessarily agree with their methods and finds herself in the middle of this conflict between the hard right of the corporations and the far left of the anarchist cell.  Sarah sees the utilitarianism of Sharon and her spy firm, and the radical excess of The East.  About a little more than half way through the film, we find her deep in conflict.  She starts to see the inauthenticity of her own life, while she works for the morally corrupt corporations that destroy our world.  Most importantly, she sees how we as individuals support the inequality that consumerism, and therefore capitalism, which allows the rich to benefit at the expense of the labor and suffering of others.  She sees the humanity in the group, and the possibility that she can make a difference.  The group is portrayed as a bunch of fun loving hippy types who feel self-righteous in their cause.  Batmanglij and Marling spent some time in 2009 with an anarchist cell learning their mentality about corporations, consumerism, freeganism, and bathing in a river with a group, thus giving them insight that became the ideas behind this script.  Ellen Page's role is smaller, yet one of the most potent.  As in "Juno,"she is a fireball.  She is forceful, smart, and determined.  She later becomes a driving force for Sarah.  There is a scene in the film that is symbolic and foreshadows a later event.  The scene is where Thumbs finds a dead deer in the woods.  A "thrill kill" (kill for sport) that the group doesn't want to go to waste.  The group elects Sarah to cut open the deer so that they can take the meat.  However, Sarah cuts too far and cuts the intestine, crap spills out.

What is poignant about the film is that it brings to the foreground events that we know are going on in the world today.  The government is spying on us; major corporations protect themselves by printing the side effects in small print, and deny that they pollute our water.  In light of Wikileaks and the Edward Snowden incident, "The East" makes a statement.  Marling and Batmanglij's films tend to build the suspense and the drama, but they leave a lot to the imagination when they conclude their films.  I think they do a better job at bringing the "The East" to a conclusion.  As I said before, they tend to leave much to the imagination.  In "The Sound of My Voice," they give you the punch line in the last few moments of the film, and then before you can process what you just saw -- fade to black.  In "Another Earth," the ending is more of a quiet moment of reflection and for some, may have been a letdown.  "The East" is worth watching if you care about global warming, privacy issues, or just about any of humanity's problems.  For me, it was a revelation, which leads me down another level of awareness.

Just remember,

"Those side effects are listed on the side of the bottle.  That is how they rape you in broad daylight."

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Movie Data

Genre: Action, Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Year:  2013

Staring: Alexander Skarsgård,Brit Marling,Ellen Page, Toby Kebbell, Shiloh Fernandez

Director: Zal Batmanglij

Producer(s): Michael Costigan, Jocelyn Hayes, Brit Marling, Ridley Scott,Tony Scott

Writer: Zal Batmanglij, Brit Marling

Rating: PG-13
Release Date: 6/23/2013
Running Time: 116 minutes

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